The heart is amazing! Whether you are looking at it from a spiritual, emotional, or physical perspective your heart is a sign of life.
The question today: "How do you know your heart is stressed?"
5 Signs Your Heart is Stressed
You're more tired than usual
You might be tired because of stress if you:
- Have a hard time sleeping.
- Feel exhausted after a full night's sleep.
- Have trouble getting out of bed in the morning, even though you've slept well and feel rested.
- Feel like your energy level has dropped dramatically over the last few months or years.
(If you would like my Sleep Notes you can click here to read them or text SLEEP to 405-655-5424)
You feel anxious or depressed
If you're feeling anxious or depressed, it's likely that your heart is stressed. Anxiety is a feeling of fear, nervousness, or uneasiness that can be triggered by something specific (like an upcoming meeting) or generalized (the stress of everyday life). Depression is also characterized by low mood and aversion to activity.
(If you are curious about how stressed you are you can check out my Stress Quiz here.)
You have trouble concentrating
- Stress can make it hard to focus on one thing.
- Brain fog or headaches can also be a sign.
You notice it's harder to make decisions
The process of decision-making is a complex one and can be influenced by stress. Stress can interfere with your ability to think clearly, which is why many people feel confused or overwhelmed when they are under stress. It might seem like an easy fix: just take some time off and relax! However, if we are having a hard time making decisions it's hard to know what to do or how to relax. Often it's a Heart-Brain connection issue and that has to be connected to lower the stress and heal.
You have chest pain or palpitations
Chest pain or palpitations are often the wake-up call symptoms. Yes, they can be a sign of a heart attack and also common symptoms of other cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and arrhythmia. But, so can anxiety and overwhelm.
If you are having chest pain- often described as a squeezing sensation in the chest that may radiate to other areas of your body (such as arms or shoulders) then it's always a good idea to see a doctor.
Palpitations are an awareness of your heartbeat--you might feel like it's racing or skipping beats--and they're usually harmless unless accompanied by other symptoms like shortness of breath or sweating profusely, again always good to get checked out.
If you do experience any of these symptoms your heart is stressed.
If you experience any of these symptoms, it is important to see a doctor. Your heart is an important organ- it's needed to live and it can be stressed out by many factors in your life. If your doctor has given you a "normal" diagnosis or told you to lower your stress - that's always a catch-22. If you knew how to lower your stress you probably wouldn't be having the symptoms in the first place.
However, a "normal" diagnosis does not mean your heart is not stressed. Don't ignore the 5 Signs Your Heart is Stressed. Be happy that you are listening to the symptoms before you receive a diagnosis and have an opportunity to make a change. If you have been given a diagnosis- medications are not necessarily going to lower your stress- just the symptoms.
However, a "normal" diagnosis does not mean your heart is not stressed. Don't ignore the 5 Signs Your Heart is Stressed. Be happy that you are listening to the symptoms before you receive a diagnosis and have an opportunity to make a change. If you have been given a diagnosis- medications are not necessarily going to lower your stress- just the symptoms.
I hope this information has helped you understand that these signs and symptoms are signs your heart- whether spiritual, emotional, or physical is stressed. And if you don't know how to lower your stress well that's where I come in. As a stress expert, I am all about finding solutions to living a life of less stress and more energy- what I call an exceptional life. Because I think we can all agree "normal" is highly overrated.
Solution
This month, I am focusing on the heart and as a HeartMath Certified Practioner for Stress, Anxiety, and Emotional Regulation through The Institute for Better Health (BHI) and HeartMath. I will be teaching a series of 6 Masterclasses that will deep dive into the Spiritual, Emotional, and Physical Heart, HRV, The Heart-Brain Connection, and 6 Techniques to Improve YOUr Heart Health today. If you would like more information please click the button below.
Happy New Year!
I love new beginnings and that’s how I choose to think of the New Year! The New Year brings the opportunity to create new habits, new routines, and new ways of thinking- this week a new positive mindset.
Today is a great time to reflect on what we did this past year and what we hope to accomplish this next year. One way I have found helpful is to choose a word for the year. A WORD is an easy way to organize and focus my thoughts on what I would like to accomplish. Helps keep me motivated when things become overwhelming.
New Year! New Word!
Peace.
In December I did several masterclasses with the word peace in them. I had no idea at the time that I would end up picking the word PEACE for 2023.
There was something about this quote I found: Peace is a stress-free state of security and calmness that comes when there's no fighting or war, everything coexisting in perfect harmony and freedom that really tugged at my heart. I knew this is where I wanted to put my focus in 2023.
I believe we are spiritual, emotional, and physical beings and when all 3 are connected - in sync - we have that perfect harmony- peace.
Spiritual
I know spiritually that Jesus is my peace. He lives within me and the Holy Spirit leads me when I listen. There it is. How often do I have spiritual war within because I am resisting the Holy Spirit rather than allowing Him to lead me?
The WORD peace this year will help remind me that for my spiritual health I am committed to starting my morning in prayer with He who is the Prince of Peace and meditate on His Word- (I started The Jesus Bible 365-Day Devotional Reading Plan inside my YouVersion App this morning- if you would like to join me click here.)
Emotional
As an emotional being- our emotions is what I believe connects our spirit with our physical body. So often I find myself in a more emotionally stressed state than the stress-free state of peace and calmness.
The WORD peace this year will help remind me that for my emotional health I am committed to becoming aware of my emotional state- am I in the Blue Zone: Thriving, Yellow Zone: Fight, Green Zone: Flight, Red Zone: Overwhelmed or Blue Zone: Trauma/Freeze. (If you would like to know your default stressed state you can take the How Stressed Are You? Quiz by clicking here.)
Once I know how I am feeling emotionally I can ask myself how can I best support myself today to feel more safe, more calm, more peace?
Physical
Our physical body is amazing. It is the vessel, the temple that holds our spiritual and emotional beings within. We ask so much of it and often we find that it feels like a war has occurred. Our spiritual and emotional states affect our physical state as much as the physical activities we do, the food we eat and the years of wear and tear on our physical bodies.
The WORD peace this year will help remind me that for my physical health I am committed to finding the balance between physical activity and physical rest. Supporting my physical body with exercise, sleep, hydration, nutrition - as well as living out my purpose, investing my time in my family, my clients and my community and having fun by choosing new experiences and healthy habits.
I am excited for 2023! I am excited to live a life of more peace and less stress.
Do you have a WORD for the Year?
I would love for you to share your WORD of the year with me.
❤️Shawna Cale, PT, LCTI, CHHWC
❤️Shawna Cale, PT, LCTI, CHHWC
Stress Expert
A colonel in the British army once shared that in his work with prisoners of war he found it was not the physically strong who were most likely to survive the stress of their experiences. What he discovered was that survivors tend to have not one but three positive mindsets in common.
3 Positive Mindsets
#1 Positive Attitude
A positive attitude is when you can accept that every circumstance no matter how challenging has a higher purpose. Knowing this leads to a positive attitude, which impacts your perception, your body chemistry, your immune response, and even the capacity to live a life of less stress and more energy.
#2 Positive response
A positive response is an ability to control your responses even when you don't have control over life events, circumstances, or the people around you. How you respond is the difference between moving into a more stressed state and moving toward a more calm and relaxed state, which makes you receptive to new ways of perceiving and dealing with difficult situations.
#3 Positive concept of time
A positive concept of time is when you understand that every experience has a beginning, middle, and end. Often, when you are dealing with a stressful situation it feels like there is no end in sight and this leads to the feeling of hopelessness, lack of action, and depression. You only see the negative and your mind and body begin to shut down to what is possible. When you have a positive concept of time- this too will end- your immune system gets a boost and your inner resources of hope and resilience increase to a level that allows you to handle the most difficult situations.
If you are ready to adopt these 3 Positive Mindsets in 2023 grab your FREE 7 Days To A More Positive YOU! Workbook and join me inside the Fill My Cup FB Group January 1st-7th, 2023 where I will share a short video on the Positivity topic of the day so together we can live a more positive lifestyle.
If you are ready to adopt these 3 Positive Mindsets in 2023 grab your FREE 7 Days To A More Positive YOU! Workbook and join me inside the Fill My Cup FB Group January 1st-7th, 2023 where I will share a short video on the Positivity topic of the day so together we can live a more positive lifestyle.
❤️Shawna Cale, PT, LCTI, CHHWC
Stress Expert
How are you? How's YOUr Heart?
This month I am focusing on heart health and one thing I have learned on my health journey is that our heart is...
